May8, 2018

WASHINGTON—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action:

“President Trump’s decision today makes much more likely a scenario we have long dreaded: an Iranian nuclear weapon. The nuclear agreement has its weaknesses—particularly that certain inspection provisions sunset a few years down the road rather than binding Iran in perpetuity. My hope was that in that time, we could have worked with partners to build upon the deal, extend its life, and address all of Iran’s other aggressive and harmful activities. The only way to improve the deal was for all parties to live up to their obligations.

“But by creating a phony crisis, President Trump has moved those sunsets up to today, and at the same time undermined American leadership and credibility on the global stage. Whatever the problems with the deal, we made a commitment, and now it’s the United States breaking its word. And President Trump bears sole responsibility for scrapping this deal rather than making a real effort to improve it.

“It’s hard to imagine another power—such as North Korea—would enter into an agreement with this Administration. This manufactured crisis and rash decision have cast doubt on everything the United States does and says around the world. But one thing is crystal clear: President Trump has made the world less safe today.”